Hooper looks to cap fine year
19/11/2014
Mark Hooper will look to end 2014 in style by qualifying to play in the BMW PGA Championship for a second successive year.
The Rayleigh Club PGA Professional will be one of four PGA in England (East) players heading to Antalya Golf Club in Turkey for the Titleist PGA Play-Offs on November 29 – December 1.
The winner of the £15,000 season-ending showpiece, held over the PGA Sultan Course, will be crowned PGA No.1 while the top ten finishers will secure their place at Wentworth in May.
There are also multiple other European and Challenge Tour starts up for grabs, and the top three eligible players will qualify to play for the GB&I team in the PGA Cup at CordeValle, California next September.
Hooper, 30, finished last year’s BMW PGA Championship as the highest placed club professional, tying in 38th place on level-par and playing his final round of the tournament with former US Open champion Justin Rose.
Yet he is not the only member of the four-strong contingent to have experience of the event.
Great Yarmouth and Caister man Ian Ellis finished fourth in the play-offs last year to secure his place in the European Tour’s flagship event, while Channels head pro Jason Levermore has played in three of the last four PGA Championships - he will be making his third consecutive appearance in the play-offs.
Also representing the PGA (East) region will be Dunstable Downs pro Darren Charlton.
Titleist brand director, Matthew Johnson, commented: “Titleist strives to support golf in all aspects of the game and our partnership with The PGA and the PGA Play-Offs offers a fantastic platform to strengthen our ties with all PGA Professionals.
"We take great pride in validating the #1 ball in golf, used by the best players in the world from touring professionals through to PGA Professionals and elite amateurs, which in turn influences golfers of all abilities to put their trust in the #1 ball in golf to help them shoot their best scores.
“The PGA Play-Offs is a unique event in bringing the leading PGA pros together to compete for an opportunity to tee up at some of the European Tour’s biggest events including the flagship BMW PGA Championship and we look forward to seeing an exciting conclusion to the season."
